


The Wine of Her Charm

by rainbowflavouredfabulous



Category: Victoria (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - Pre-Napoleonic Russia, Alternate Universe - War and Peace, Butchering English names to make them sound Russian, Champagne, F/M, Heavily inspired by BBC War and Peace, Implied Reincarnation, i really hope those last two are actual tags
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-26
Updated: 2018-03-26
Packaged: 2019-04-08 04:46:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,148
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14097519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainbowflavouredfabulous/pseuds/rainbowflavouredfabulous
Summary: But scarcely had he embraced that slender supple figure and felt her stirring so close to him and smiling so near him than the wine of her charm rose to his head.- War and Peace, Chapter XVI





	The Wine of Her Charm

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally part of a much larger reincarnation AU heavily inspired by the very first proper fanfic I read when I was 12. To this day, it still inspires me and I wish I could do it justice but juggling WIPs gets exhausting. I didn’t want to start something that personally I felt wasn’t my best work and leave it abandoned so I hope you take this conciliatory gift
> 
> Probs full of inaccuracies but fuck it I’m sleepy and tipsy (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:・ﾟ✧ pls don’t take the names to be the actual corresponding name in Russian but they’re the closest I could find (if you can help, hmu)
> 
> Listen to [this track](https://youtu.be/hY7GQydpjrE) for extra Russian atmosphere

Unlike many of the men of Alexander I's court, Vilgelm would rather be in muddy battlefields than in the candlelit salons of St Petersburg. He finds the costumes of high society too overbearing and would rather be sat on a horse waiting for action - soon to be had, if the rumours about that Napoleon are to be believed.

Yelizaveta, Vilgelm's beloved mother, had ushered him into their family home when he was given leave and dressed him, telling him that he had spent too much time away from society and that he ought to show his face, said with a kiss on his cheek. She was a strong women and with her other sons also in the army, he did as she said.

Something, perhaps, that he begins to regret when he becomes trapped in conversation with some man he's never met, claiming he knows how to run the army better than Kutuzov. Vilgelm merely smiles politely and nods when appropriate, desperate for a way out.

God, it seemed, was smiling on him and Vilgelm catches the eye of one of his friends just entering and with the barest of goodbyes, he leaves his dreary conversation partner to walk over to his friend.

"Vilgelm!"

"Carl!"

Both men hug each other like Frenchmen and Vilgelm suddenly feels a lot better. Many harbour dislike for Carl and his family, for being too German, for not taking to the French ways of their court, for him and his sister not taking to Russian notions.

"I see you've finally been let back into polite society?" Carl jokes and both of them laugh, taking glasses of champagne from loitering servants.

"I have indeed. How is your family? Feodora is still well?"

"She doesn't care for the joys of motherhood but she is happy and healthy and that is all we can wish for. But we will not speak of her, I have brought someone else!"

Carl moves to the side to allow Vilgelm to see the young girl hidden behind him, a short maiden with dark brown hair braided up and large blue eyes that seem to see everything. "May I introduce my half-sister, Viktoriya. She turned eighteen last week, if I knew you were back in Petersburg we could have celebrated."

Vilgelm leans down to take her hand and kiss the back of it. " _Enchanté, mademoiselle_." Viktoriya watches him with wide eyes, not yet used to the ways of the fabled salons. "I trust your brother is taking care of you?"

She stands up straight and says with a smile, "with him and Feodora, I feel like I am among the angels.”

Carl laughs loudly, perhaps to the chagrin of the other guests but Vilgelm has known the Leiningens his whole life and knows that despite their father's death, nothing could stop them from enjoying life.

"You're just saying that because you want to come with us to England." Carl says.

Vilgelm comments, "you're going to England? A fine choice, I remember going there in my youth."

Viktoriya gasps and steps closer to Vilgelm, her hands curled up underneath her chin. "You've been to England? Mama said Papa used to visit it every summer. Are the shores truly white? Is the King as mad as they say? Is it true that their _duma_ is even older than ours?"

Carl leans down to kiss his half-sister on the head before explaining, "Mama told her about her Papa's travels and now she's obsessed with that little island. You musn't bore him, Vikusha."

"Nonsense, I'm perfectly happy to entertain your sister." Vilgelm tells Carl who smiles at Viktoriya.

Carl stage-whispers, "I fear a _babushka_ might try make a match for me so I must leave for a few moments. Take care of her, will you?" Vilgelm nods as Carl takes his leave for another room where an ageing Princess wouldn't find him a young countess to marry, Viktoriya staring at him.

"Perhaps a glass of champagne?" He offers and she takes a flute from a nearby servant, taking a bigger gulp than she intends and wincing at the taste. "It's an acquired one," he reassures her before she moves to sit down on one of the various sofas, Vilgelm following her to sit on her left.

"England?" Viktoriya prompts and Vilgelm can't help but chuckle at the hope in her eyes.

"It is quite an odd place. Nothing as splendid as our own country but the people there are kind in their own way. Their nobility is rather strange and their King isn't as powerful as our gracious _Czar_. Their _Duma_ , they call it a Parliament and the men in there can make many decisions that their King must obey."

Viktoriya looks at him with wide eyes, drinking in all he knows about England and he sits back with his glass of champagne and tells her tales of his trips, the people he met and the things he could never forget.

Carl has still not come back and Vilgelm knows of the insidious talk that flutters around the salon, a new girl launched into society without a dance - preposterous! The musicians begin the first movement of a waltz and he stands up, stretching out his open hand.

"Perhaps, you could do me the honour of this first dance?"

Her eyes wanders around the room, looking for her brother but she hesitantly takes Vilgelm's hand and stands up, following him to the centre of the ballroom where couples hold onto each other and start orbiting each other like stars.

Viktoriya follows the moves quickly and faultlessly, looking at his face rather than at her feet and Vilgelm has the most peculiar sensation that she knows more about him than he knows of himself

"There's so many people," Viktoriya murmurs, looking around at the other dancers. "How do you remember all of them?"

He suddenly feels very ancient, next to this young Princess and comments, "I am much older than you and I've been to many of these occasions. You learn faces."

"You are not old!" She protests.

"If only that were true. I've celebrated my name day too many times."

The music grows louder and louder, more notes struggling to make themselves known and Vilgelm twirls Viktoriya around the room, everything so more intense, the flickering of the candles, her silk gloves in his hand, her sapphire eyes trying to comprehend such a new world and the music rises to a crescendo before it finally comes to a calm end and applause ruptures around them.

"Have we met before?" Viktoriya asks him as they continue to hold the other's hands, his forest green eyes so very familiar.

He blinks multiple times, his brow furrowing before responding, "I, I don't know."

The music starts again for another dance and they drop hands, walking away to other sides of the ballroom where neither can forget the other's eyes.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading this weird AU lol
> 
> “We as the Sky and the Earth” will hopefully be updated soon, as will “So Take My Hand”. Both updates are 95% certain to be at least 10k words for each chapter 
> 
> I’m on [Tumblr](http://www.lostlibraryofalex.tumblr.com) and pls leave a comment if you liked this!


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